I've decided I'll spend some time re-visiting Iceland and bring some of our newest goodies into the fray. So far I've added overlay layers to get rock-strewn lava fields and added two volcanoes (Eyjafjallajokull and Katla) - both are normally under glaciers and when they go off, they're solid (Katla has a VEI of 6)

AW got an extra option to simulate volcano-induced turbulence, so the air gets rough next to the ash plumes. Let's see whether I can interface still more weather - like ash drift downwind would be nice.

To my pleasant surprise, I discovered that plenty of airports have been populated since my last visit

I actually like helicopter flying a lot - it's kind of the opposite to Shuttle operations, you have to do something with the stick all the time. Trying to land in mountain regions gives me a nice challenge, and the view from a helicopter cockpit is simply hard to beat - especially since you're pitched down in level flight rather than up.

Dunno if this is the right thread to ask, but I have also discovered recently the FG helis, I love them, although I find most of them difficult to fly in stationary flight.

To be more precise, I am finding the Alouette III to be the smoother and nicest of all, you can almost feel it on the joystick! I mean by a lot! Is this really like this in the real world? Helis are so different from one to another?

I have also weird things, for instance the ec145 and ec130 start slowly rotating alone, on the ground, when I am firing up the turbines if I do not compensate with the rudder. Do pilots have really to do that in real?

The Alouette-III is, unlike most others, a JSBSim craft. Probably that's why it is different.

I've never flown a helicopter for real, not do I know anyone who does, so I can't really comment more.

I have also weird things, for instance the ec145 and ec130 start slowly rotating alone, on the ground, when I am firing up the turbines if I do not compensate with the rudder. Do pilots have really to do that in real?

I actually like helicopter flying a lot - it's kind of the opposite to Shuttle operations, you have to do something with the stick all the time. Trying to land in mountain regions gives me a nice challenge, and the view from a helicopter cockpit is simply hard to beat - especially since you're pitched down in level flight rather than up.

Even though it is YASim, my favorite handling helicopter is still AirCrane. It may be I just have the most time in it. But it was the easiest and most responsive for me.I am seriously considering adapting the Alouette-III FDM to the AirCrane if I can find the needed FDM data.I really need Amelia in the rear facing engineer seat to further implement the cargo hauling capabilities and I am not interested in duplicating her capability in YASim.

Thorsten, (don't have FG instsalled at the moment, so can't test) how did you do the volcano plume? Is that a texture? Is it 3D? Is it moving? Looks incredibly convincing, with large and fine scale structure, just what you'd expect a turbulent plume to look like. Pretty awesome!

It's using the particle system, so to the degree the particle system works, it's moving, it's 3d, it's turbulent and it even is sensitive to the wind.

It doesn't have the correct dynamics (a real eruption column has the acceleration region followed by a thermal updraft region, and the stop region, the particle system lacks the middle), it doesn't mesh too well with clouds and daylight shading and it sometimes has little quirks, but if you're not too picky, 95% of the time it looks quite compelling.